On Monday, the Split County Court sentenced former SDP mayor Ivo Baldasar to a partially suspended sentence, with a non-final verdict. He must serve nine months in prison, while he will remain at large for the remaining nine months if he does not commit a new criminal offense in the next three years.
In addition to Baldasar, who was convicted of two criminal offenses of abuse of position and authority, the second defendant, former head of the city's municipal services, Špiro Cokarić, was sentenced to the same sentence.
In that court proceeding, another former mayor, Miroslav Buličić, was acquitted of inciting abuse of position and authority in connection with works in front of Buličić's house.
The following were sentenced to suspended sentences: Damir Babić, head of the Municipal Department of the City of Split, Jasna Parčina, representative of the Mimoza company, Josip Čulić, head of the Luxe hotel operations, Natali Ribičić, head of the public areas sub-department, and entrepreneur Stipe Mađor. They were each sentenced to one year of probation with a four-year probation period.
They ended up in court for favoring the Luxe Hotel and the Mimoza company, which paid lower bills for 19 parking spaces over the course of three years. Baldasar allocated them for a significantly lower fee, thus enabling them to make a profit at the expense of the city of Split.
In addition to favoritism with parking spaces, USKOK also charged the defendants with allowing entrepreneur Mađor to use the space in the Tourist Palace more favorably.
Photo: HINA/Mario Strmotić
